Mission
by hannahbee27
Summary: Freshly divorced Edward Cullen embarks on an aid mission to Ecuador. What he learns there and who he meets will change his perspective and life forever. Rated M for language, AU, Cannon pairings. HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is the sprout of a little story line I thought up while in bed one night. I'll leave this first chapter up and see what kind of response it gets**, **if its good I'll keep going. These characters aren't mine, but what I do with them is! Please do tell me what you think :)**

* * *

In approximately ten minutes, I would be divorced. Except the word divorced didn't really cover the spectrum of emotions I felt. There was joy, there was freedom, and then there was the tiny ounce of guilt.

"Edward?" My lawyer, Laurent Lefebvre, walked into his office, holding a file folder with 'Cullen' written on the tab. "I'm afraid that your wife will be a little late. She just called to say she's running behind." _You mean 'soon to be ex'-wife._

"Typical." I snorted.

I met Tanya Denali in high school, and she immediately took my breath away. Wavy strawberry-blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a smile that could light up a room. She was the epitome of what every high school girl wanted to be; pretty and popular. It's a wonder I didn't see through the façade earlier._ Five years earlier_.

While we waited for Tanya, Laurent and I talked about some last minute paperwork I needed to sign. He didn't really have to explain it; it was only a formality. I had chosen Laurent for a reason. He was my mentor back in law school, and helped me navigate through Chicago to find a good job. I owed him my business.

In a flash of red, Tanya entered the room, dressed in none other than the designer dress I bought her for her birthday last year. _Low blow, bitch._ She opened her huge purse as she sat next to Laurent, and pulled out her compact to check her obnoxiously bright lipstick.

"Sorry about the wait." She breathed in my direction. I just nodded and pushed the first document for her to sign towards her. She looked up at me through her long lashes before letting out a sigh. "Eddie, do we really have to do this?"

I raked my hands through my hair and prepared the speech I had given to her numerous times before. "Tanya, we drifted apart. Therapy didn't work. Counseling didn't work. _We_ didn't work." I just wanted this to be over. I wanted my life back. There were so many things I had wanted to experience, but with Tanya, I felt chained.

She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers into her creased forehead. She chewed her lip and sighed again before looking back at me.

"I can see that you're not the same person you were when we married, Edward." She exhaled deeply and scribbled her curvy signature on the line, signaling the end of us. Five years I had spent trying to tell myself that staying with Tanya was the right thing. Now I knew that I was just settling. "Is that everything?" She asked in a huff.

"These are the last of the documents." Laurent pushed another packet of papers in her direction. As soon as she finished, he packed up his black leather briefcase. "Edward, I'll be in touch." I nodded and watched him leave the small office.

"I'll be by at ten tomorrow to pick up the last of my things. Oh and Edward, your gang of frat boys called while you were out, they want to have a," Her nostrils flared and she took a deep breath before continuing, "a 'bitch send-off party'. I suggest you clean the apartment before they trash it." Snatching her purse off the table, I watched my ex-wife leave for the very last time.

_I may have giggled._

"Dude, I'm proud of you." Emmett clapped his beefy hands on my back, causing me to choke on my beer a little.

"You look like a little kid that's just been told he can swim in the pool naked." Jasper chuckled.

Emmet McCarty and Jasper Whitlock were my college roommates during my stay at the University of Chicago. We stayed in touch after school and made a point to get drinks together a couple of times a week. They had some pretty strange and extravagant ideas of starting their own web hosting company, but as far as I could tell, nothing concrete had ever gotten off the ground. Most of the time, they bummed around with temp and part-time jobs. I didn't know why the two of them didn't apply themselves more, but they insisted that the easy life was definitely one worth living. To me, it was just two degrees in computer science gone to waste.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm going to love being single again." I laughed. I must have looked so stupid, grinning and laughing like a damn five year old.

"I can't believe you only had one girlfriend before her. You could have done so much better. Seriously, look at all the tail here in this _one_ bar." Emmett wiggled his eyebrows before his eyes locked onto a gorgeous blond near the door. "Exhibit A." He pointed to her before sauntering over in her direction.

"Well, we won't be seeing him for rest of the night." I nodded to Jasper, who just shook his head and smiled at his roommate.

"Hey, with all this new freedom, what are you going to do with your life?" Jasper joked. It hadn't occurred to me that I now had no one to confirm my actions with; I was my own person again. I smiled at the thought of being able to do anything I wanted without being nagged about it the morning after.

"I haven't thought about it much. But all I've done for the past couple years is work and get yelled at by ex-bitch. Maybe I'll do something meaningful."

"Like what? Rescue orphans in Ecuador?" He smirked, knowing that I hated kids. I shoved him playfully.

"You know what I mean." I rolled my eyes and finished my beer. "You know, I can officially walk around my apartment in my underwear now." We clinked our empty bottles together and one of many toasts to freedom.

Needing a break from the rush of work, I spent the weekend at my parent's place on the outskirts of the city. Their spacious house provided me with time and space to think, and get back to my much neglected piano. I had saved up quite a bit of money to buy my own piano for my apartment back in the city, and I mentally went over my favorite Steinways.

Not since last Christmas had my family been together for dinner. Needless to say, we had a lot of catching up to do.

"Edward, I know you're going through some tough times, but you know you're always welcome home." My mother squeezed my hand softly, and offered me more mashed potatoes. I loved my mother; she was always trying to feed me.

"Thanks, mom." I tried to give her my best It'll-be-hard-but-I'm-getting-through-it smile. Honestly, I had been ready for the divorce for months. I just needed one event to push everything off the edge.

"How has Aro's firm treated you?" My father asked, always focusing on business. As a doctor, he was used to thinking about things logically, and albeit a little detached.

"Good, no big cases yet, but I'm still pretty new so I'll have to work my way up." They nodded their heads, knowing well that climbing the legal ladder in a big city was no cakewalk. I swallowed my bite of chicken forcefully; not sure if what I was about to say still made sense to me. "I'm actually thinking about talking some time off."

My father dropped his fork and it rattled dramatically against the china. It was such a soap opera moment; I had to bite back a laugh.

"To do..._what_?" He asked incredulously. I had always been Carlisle Cullen's pride and glory. The perfect son, never missing a day of school or college, and always scoring at the top of the class. I'd never asked to stay home from school, not even when I had the flu, so I could understand his shock.

"Breaking it off with Tanya opened my eyes so to speak. There are so many things I'd like to do that I didn't get a chance to because of other obligations, like my wife and my job. Now that one of those distractions is out of the way, I want to do something meaningful."

I couldn't read their faces. Blank canvases with wide eyes. Soon my mother broke out into a huge smile; she had always supported me through all of my endeavors as a kid, successful or not.

"Edward, I think it's a wonderful idea! Do you know what you want to do? I have an old friend who's working on some aid projects. I can talk to her for you." She glowed. If anything made my mother happy, it was her family, cooking, and helping other people.

"That'd be really great mom." I beamed back at her. I was a total mama's boy. "Dad?" I was starting to get scared, he usually had a comment to offer almost immediately.

"Have you put a lot of thought into this?" He hated rushed decisions, and called them illogical. My father reminded me a lot of Spock. I told him so frequently.

"Yes." I lied. He sighed heavily, pressing his fingers into his temples.

"I can't stop you from living your life, Edward. But think about the timing of your decision. You just started at a high-profile firm. Do you really want to jeopardize your chances of moving up by taking a prolonged leave?"

"When else am I going to get a chance to do something like this? I'll be stuck at Aro's until I'm fifty, and then what? I'll be too tired and worn out to do anything worthwhile with my time." I was getting angry and defensive, and I suddenly felt very protective of my new desire. He sighed again, long and drawn-out.

"If this means that much to you, then by all means. But I'm afraid that this taste of adulthood, will have to be all yours."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"I'm not going to pay for this, Edward." His voice was stern and final, like he had made up his mind weeks ago. My stomach sank when I realized the only money I had saved was for my piano. I swallowed another bite of chicken to give myself a second to think of a reply.

"I realize that, dad. It's something I'm passionate about, and I have some money saved already." I really hoped I didn't regret blowing my piano money away.

"I'll call Renee right away!" My mother cried, and scrambled to find the phone.

"No, dad, sit. I'll clean up." I shot him a tentative smile, but he just nodded, deep in thought. I hoped I hadn't ruined our relationship, rocky as it was to begin with.

After an interesting dinner, I made my way to my old room, which was embarrassingly still the way I left it when I went off to the University of Chicago. I pulled my laptop out of my briefcase and e-mailed my financial adviser to see if I could really afford this trip. Carlisle would be smug as hell if he found out I hadn't done my homework. It would be just like the time I wanted to try out for the swim team in middle school. I had told him that I had trained to gain endurance, but when I failed to make the team, he saw right through me and my excuses._ "You weren't prepared. And you suffered because of it."_ I could remember the satisfaction in his voice. It was from then on that I never did anything impulsively, and every minute I had free was used for planning. Applying to college had been a bitch. I sighed ran my hands through my un-tamable hair. I heard my mother's distinct soft knock on my door and I opened it, ready for the onslaught of excitement and hairspray.

"I just got off the phone with Renee Dwyer, we went to college together." She smiled in a way that I was sure she was remembering some insane party at which she probably got so wasted she stole a pig or something. I didn't like when my mother got that look on her face. "Her daughter is the organizer of Schools for Change. Have you heard of it?" I shook my head. I didn't have much time to watch the news anymore, what with Aro constantly shoving manila file-folders down my throat. "Her most recent aid mission is in Ecuador, they're going to be building four schools over a four month period."

"A school a month? That's pretty ambitious." I had absolutely no experience with power tools and the like, but I was sure they couldn't be _that_ hard to use.

"It's the third mission of its kind that SFC has organized. They've been very successful." She sat next to me on my lumpy twin mattress. "Edward, I'm very proud of you. Most people throw change into a bucket. But this, this is real social change." She squeezed my shoulder and handed me a scrap of paper with a phone number on it. "Ask for Bella. She'll take care of everything." I nodded and watched her retreat to the doorway. "Oh and dear? Don't mind your father. He's just a little grumpy because another doctor beat him out of a chance to go to a seminar in St. Louis this week." She smiled and closed my door behind her. It was easy to see why I was a complete mama's boy.

The next day I called the phone number for Schools for Change. I was greeted by a raspy sounding receptionist, Mrs. Cope, who sounded like she had been chain-smoking since she was six.

"I'd like to speak with Bella, please?" I wondered why I never asked my mother for this girl's last name, it would make contacting her just a little bit easier.

"Sweetheart, she's already in Ecuador. But I can connect you with her office where you'll speak to Angela Webber, Bella's number two." My call was transferred and I huffed into the receiver at the sound of the annoying music while I was on hold.

"Office of Mission Organization. Angela speaking, how may I help you?" A quiet voice spoke.

"Um, hi. My name is Edward Cullen, and I'm looking to work on a mission." I almost laughed. It sounded like I was applying for a job at the CIA.

"Of course. Our next trip is to Thailand, beginning in January. Or if you don't want to wait that long, we still have a few positions open for the September Ecuador team."

"When would the departure be?"

"In five days." Wow. I would really have to get my shit together fast for this one. I scribbled the details onto a notepad, hoping that I wouldn't back down later.

"And how much will it cost?" I braced myself and mentally said goodbye to my piano.

"Oh sir, all of our workers are volunteers. There isn't any cost to help, all of our funding is either from the government or private corporations."

_Wow, free._

It was the best news I had heard all week.

"Thank you so much." I left her my contact information and hung up, feeling extremely satisfied with myself. I sighed in relief. This was really going to happen. For once in my life, I had taken control. It was intoxicatingly liberating.

I quickly dialed Charlotte's number and prepared for the hardest part of this whole plan.

"Hey Char, it's Edward."

"What can I do for ya?" I could hear the smile in her voice. Charlotte Debois had been the only civil person on my first day at Aro's firm, and we were close friends. I often joined her and her husband Marcus for dinner at Campino's, a little Italian place around the block from the office.

"Um, do you think you can send me some leave of absence forms?"

"Where the hell are you going, Ed?" I could hear the shock in her voice. First time employees usually didn't get these types of privileges, but as Aro's number two in training, I was privy to certain benefits. I only hoped he wouldn't flip out.

"I, um, I'm going to Ecuador."

"Wow. Tanya really did a number on you, didn't she?"

"I'm doing aid work, actually. I think this is exactly what I need. A fresh perspective. I just need to figure out what I want. I figured that I might as well do something worthwhile, you know?" I didn't like how I had to defend my decision every time I told someone about it.

"I don't know, Edward. You've only been here for six months. I'm not sure Aro will comply."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." I swallowed thickly, imagining the little vein in Aro's forehead that might erupt.

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind. I'll e-mail the PDFs to you right away. Good luck kiddo." She hung up and I did a happy little jig. Then I checked to make sure nobody was looking into my room. Normal twenty-six year old men don't jig.

Early the next morning I e-mailed my leave of absence forms to Aro. I held my breath throughout breakfast, nervously eying my Blackberry for a reply. Only my mother sensed my distress, and therefore offered me extra whipped cream on my waffles. I downed the sugary goodness ravenously, my nerves seemed to be messing with my appetite. I helped clear the dishes when I heard the _ping_ of an e-mail alert. I scrambled for the kitchen island, nearly falling flat on my face in the process. I did, however, forget to wipe the soap suds off my hands before grabbing my phone. My annoyance grew ten-fold with having to towel off my 'expensive electronic leash', as Jasper called it. I scrolled through my inbox and found a reply to my latest outbox.

**Re: Leave of absence**

**Upon receiving your request forms, I have reviewed your performance from the last six months. Because you have completed most tasks asked of you, I am granting you one month's leave. Consider this a undeserved vacation. I expect you back in the office exactly one month after the day you leave.**

**Aro Pezzati, Esq.  
**

Mixed feelings of joy and disappointment filtered through my mind. Sure I'd be able to go to Ecuador, but the length of time was less than desirable. With a truncated trip, I knew I'd have to give as much as I could while in Ecuador. I checked my reflection from the stainless-steel fridge and saw the same scruffy, tired looking man I'd come to know as myself. I sighed and ascended the stairs, hoping that I truly had done the right thing.

Doubt is not good company.

* * *

**Your reviews will decide this story's fate. Ciao for now!**

**-Hannah**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! Thanks for the positive reviews and feedback :) As you can tell, I've decided to keep this story and I'm very excited about it (I have a good feeling about this one :x). Anyways, after my terrible updating habits of the past, I'm going to set up a schedule. From now on, updates should be coming on the first of the month. I know it sounds like a long time, but I found that its the average amount of time that I'm able to sit down, write a good chapter, and thoroughly edit it. **

**I had this chapter written up earlier just in case :3 So, without further ado, Edward's departure!  
**

* * *

I spent the day at my parents place, finishing case paperwork from home. My flight was to leave tomorrow morning, 8am. That still didn't stop my father from being a real pain in the ass. He peppered me with questions like, 'Have you gotten the correct immunizations?', 'Will you have internet access?', 'Are you sure this is a legitimate charity?'. Finally, I snapped.

"Dad, I am not sixteen anymore. I can take care of myself. I pay for my insurance, I pay rent, hell, I even do my own taxes. Does that not qualify me as an adult?" He appraised me gravely and forfeited to me a rare acknowledgment with a slow nod.

"Be careful, dear." My mother soothed.

"Always am." I kissed her forehead and grabbed my bags. I wanted to get back to my apartment today in order to pack the rest of my things. My father shook my hand formally, and closed the door behind me. _That went well. _

I packed old shorts and t-shirts; things with holes in them that I didn't mind getting dirty. Construction doesn't exactly call for the same attire as an attorney. Just then, my doorbell rang.

I barely had a chance to flick the lock before Emmett barreled past me, Jasper followed right behind him.

"Tell me this is some reality show joke!" Emmett guffawed. I groaned. I knew it was a mistake to let the two of them know the real reason for my leaving. But there wasn't really a way to lie to Jasper; he had a real talent for getting people to spill their guts. Part of that made him an excellent friend. The other part made me want to kick his ass sometimes.

"You know, I was only kidding about the orphan thing, Edward." Jasper chuckled, cracking open a beer from the cooler they brought.

"Guys, I should really be packing." I grumbled.

"Are you seriously going to spend your last night in Chicago by yourself?" Emmett raised one of his rug-like eyebrows at me. "What about your boys? Come on man! We'll make sure you remember why you love this city and not some stupid village."

"Emmett, the closest fucking school is twenty-five miles away. And its not some stupid village." I seethed.

"You're actually going to do this." Jasper stated, slightly taken aback.

"Look, I already had to go through this shit with my dad. I thought I might get a little support from you guys. But no. All _you_ want to do is get some ass, and all _you_ want to do is drink yourself to sleep." I pointed accusingly at Emmett and Jasper. They were low blows, but I was _not_ in the mood tonight. Emmett knew how I felt about him possibly getting every venereal disease in the book and Jasper more than once had resorted to liquor to solve his problems.

_Awkward silence._

"Fine." Emmett snapped. He could be such a girl.

"Don't call or anything." Jasper said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. With a resounding _slam_, my two best friends closed themselves out of my life. I sank into my couch. _I am such an asshole._ I just bitched out my only real friends. Over what, some stupid mission? Surely they knew that they were more important. Didn't they?

I couldn't dwell on it, though. I had to get some sleep in order to stay coherent for tomorrow's flight. I slept fitfully, switching back and forth between dreams of a man-eating squid rampaging around Chicago and me nailing my thumb to a 2x4 while building a school. Needless to say, I didn't get that much sleep. I woke groggily around 5am and stumbled around my apartment to get ready. I even forewent shaving. _Maybe I'll grow a beard_, I mused at my scruffy reflection while trying to get my hair to lie straight. It was a useless attempt; no amount of brushing would tame my hair. Once I had brushed my teeth, I packed up my toothbrush and checked my carry-on. Passport: _check._ Boarding pass: _check._ ipod:_ charged and check._ Phone: _check._ I circled my apartment one last time.

My old life came rushing back, images of Tanya laying on the couch, her clothes and shoes scattered on the bedroom floor, and her cooking dinner in the kitchen; it all flooded back to me. _Did I really need to go to such extremes to convince myself I made the right decision?_

Did _I make the right decision?_

Tanya and I had always had chemistry, in the bedroom at least. She was easy to talk to, and we had a lot in common. On paper, our marriage should have lasted. She was extremely vain, however, and often belittled people to get what she wanted. Her confidence was sexy back in high school, but it became grating during our marriage.

_No_. I wouldn't let doubt ruin an experience such as this. I _needed _this trip. I rubbed my blurry eyes and hauled my suitcase and backpack down the elevator of my apartment building. I had called a cab, not wanting to have to deal with my car parked in the extended-use lot at O' Hare. I threw my stuff into the trunk and climbed into the back seat. I tried to erase any ounce of guilt and/or regret in regards to Tanya by thinking about Ecuador.

I knew she and I were going nowhere. Jasper had even spoken up about it; how Tanya and I had been fighting a lot. I stifled a groan because I had somehow come back to thinking about her. I didn't have time to berate myself, though. We had reached the airport in record time due to the decreased traffic at such an ungodly hour. I paid the cabbie and made my way to the airport cafeteria. I needed coffee.

Once properly caffeinated, I made the arduous journey through security where a large chested, blond TSA agent frisked me with a little too much enthusiasm.

"I'm Jessica." She purred. "Are you carrying a concealed weapon?" She asked seductively and waved her metal-detecting wand over my crotch. I rolled my eyes at her blatant and shameful flirting.

"I'm Kieth, and no, I'm not." I said. There was no sense in letting her know that I hated the name 'Kieth' more than any other male name on the planet. She winked at me as I laced up my sneakers as fast as possible; an attempt to distance myself from her ASAP. I smiled weakly at her and rushed my way to some uncomfortable seats near my gate. I sighed and rubbed some still straggling sleep out of my eyes.

A few more passengers joined me in the seating area, all looking as bedraggled as I was. As 8:00 neared, I became more and more fidgety. When my flight was announced over the loud-speaker, my nerves were at an all time high. I nearly jumped out of my seat at the mere sound of the announcement bell. With my carry-on backpack, I boarded the plane. I found my seat easily, and fortunately, I had the window seat and could catch a glimpse of the now-rising sun. It was beautiful over the sky-line of Chicago, even from the tiny airplane window. It was then that I felt a tiny bought of homesickness._ Already_. I had grown up in this city, and I loved every nook and cranny of it; it was hard to leave it behind.

Before we took off, I sent short texts to Emmett and Jasper, apologizing for the night before and letting them know that I'd be bribing their forgiveness with gifts from Ecuador. I sent another to my mother letting her know that my flight was leaving on schedule. I didn't send anything to Carlisle. If he even cared, he'd ask my mother. I shut off my phone, shoving it into the small pocked of my pack, and plugged myself into my Ipod.

I didn't pay too much attention to the other people on the plane, but when a woman across the aisle started screaming at an obviously shaken stewardess, it was hard to stay focused on my music. I looked over to the man seated next to me, but he just shrugged.

"That's Irina. She hates flying coach. I still have no idea why the hell she comes on these missions. Too bloody afraid to break a nail." He laughed. I looked at him dumbfounded. _Maybe I'm in over my head._ "I'm Peter Murray. Looks as if this is your first time." He chuckled again, but it bristled me that my inexperience showed so easily. That was one trait that I inherited from Carlisle: the fear of being mediocre.

"Um, yeah. I'm Edward Cullen." I offered him a smile. "Is everyone on this flight going to be working for SFC?"

"Most of 'em. The ones in first class sure aren't, though." He grinned. I found his enthusiasm contagious. "I can tell you one thing for certain, stay away from Irina and Victoria." He shook his head knowingly.

"Why's that?"

"They're completely insane. Irina is some daddy's girl heiress who needs to work off some misdemeanors with community service, and Victoria, the red-head next to Irina, is her Birkenstock-wearing, clove-smoking, vegetarian groupie. They'll make your life hell if you get too close." Peter clucked in his faint Irish accent. Peter looked as if he played rugby professionally, and if it weren't for his sandy-blond hair, I might have mistaken him for Emmett based purely on size and build.

"Good to know. So how exactly does the program work?" I bombarded him with questions about Schools For Change, hoping to learn as much as possible so I didn't make a fool out of myself. He didn't seem to mind and answered every one with complete honesty.

"I really hope you have a strong stomach. The food can be pretty rancid near the end of a mission. That is, unless Bella picks up some of the slack in the kitchens." He smiled.

"She's the director, right?"

"This whole organization is her baby. Great girl, knows how to get people moving." He added.

From the way Peter described the mission, the more confident I felt that I had made the right choice. My mind swimming with excitement and anticipation, causing the flight to feel much shorter. It hardly felt like the six hours from Chicago to Quito. Our landing was a little bumpy due to some heavy cloud cover, but everything else went swimmingly.

"_¡Bienvenido a Quito!_" A stewardess called as we exited the plane. I smiled and gripped my backpack tightly, filled with excitement. The city came into view through the floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the airport. Gleaming buildings and sprawling red-roofed houses seemed to sprout out of the ground. But the most incredible scene was the soaring Andes on all sides; tall and lush.

"Beautiful, I know." Peter caught me staring. "You'll have plenty of time to see the mountains, but right now we need to catch our bus." He patted my shoulder and I followed him to where a large group of people were gathered. I recognized many of them from the flight, including Irina. I made a point to stand on the other side of the crowd.

"Alright, I'm assuming that's everyone. So if you'll all use stairwell B we can get to the bus on time." A tall burly man shouted from the front of the group.

"That's Liam. He runs the Ecuador operations." Peter nudged me. I nodded and thought that he probably was an excellent worker; his biceps had biceps. In fact, most of the men here looked like they may have used steroids once or twice. Except me. I was tall and lanky, not well suited for serious manual labor. I hoped that it wouldn't make things horribly difficult for my duration in Ecuador. Once we boarded a rickety refurbished school bus, I really started to feel the heat. The bus was crowded, and with the humidity, beads of sweat broke out across my forehead. I couldn't imagine the strain the heat would put on me once I was actually hauling around wood and the like. The bus hobbled about for around three hours and my butt was getting bruised with the jostling ride on rocky roads.

Eventually, the road smoothed out and small buildings came into view.

"Alright, people, this is Rosa Zarate, our main supply station. Once a week, a group of you will take the van into town to pick up building supplies." Liam's deep voice boomed from the front of the bus. From the grimy windows I could see women bustling about a market in beautifully colored ponchos and woven skirts. Vendors promoted their goods, calling out in rapid Spanish; I could never hope to keep up with my basic knowledge of '_Si_', '_Hola_', '_Adios_', and '_Cerveza_'.

Another hour on the bus and more butt sores later, the tiny village of Dosantos (all twenty hut-like buildings of it) showed itself. Thatched roofs dotted the fields of corn and sugar cane. I was awed by the greenness of it all. Tall banana trees lined the main dirt road and full bunches threatened to spill onto the roof of our bus or any other passer-by. I chatted sporadically with Peter about the sights, but mostly I tried to let the place sink its very essence into my pores. The colors were impossibly bright, as if someone had upped the contrast of my vision.

It took about two minutes to reach the construction site of the school, which already had a concrete foundation poured. Tents were set up surrounding the build, with one large round tent closest to the school. We unloaded the bus and were assigned our tents. I was given lot seventeen, which turned out to be in the second row of tents behind the round one. Lot seventeen was a narrow two-person tent fitted with a slightly raised cot and a few blankets. It looked quite grim. Then again, I had been spoiled practically my entire life. I snorted and mentally slapped myself for acting just like Irina. After dropping off my bags, I rejoined the group in the central tent.

"Its so great to see so many new and returning faces! I trust the flight treated you well." A small brunette woman addressed us. She was maybe 5'4", but she seemed to command a presence of someone much taller. She waved to a few people she recognized and began handing out name tags. "I know its elementary, but I want you to memorize each other's names today so things run smoothly for our stay here." She slapped a name tag on her blue shirt just above her heart. Even though I was standing pretty close to the back of the group, I could easily read the bold black letters: **BELLA**.

Once outfitted with my I.D, I moved into the task lines. I filled out a short form detailing my work experience, as to properly place me in a job I was capable of. I sighed and checked most of the 'NO' boxes for physical labor. I seriously hoped there was at least _something_ I could manage to do. After a few minutes of looking over my form, the older woman across the table handed me a packet of papers.

"You're a supply runner. This is a list of your duties and responsibilities. You may also be asked to odd jobs if Bella thinks anything might need to be improved upon." I nodded and accepted my packet and two blue work shirts with the SFC logo.

"We're going to sort you all into groups according to your tasks." Liam shouted over the commotion of the lines. "Roofers over here!" He pointed to the western end. "Electrical and plumbing on this side, general carpentry to the left of them." He was waving his meaty arms all over the place and looked sort of like a muscled windmill as he called off job placements. "Finally, supply runners, I want you closest to the front here." I moved to my designated spot and internally groaned to see Irina and Victoria amidst the small group. Figures Princess would be given a fluffy job. _Wait, does that make me a princess?_ I shook my head and stared at my feet. A small pair of trail shoes appeared in front of my downward gaze and my head snapped up to see Bella smiling at me.

"Looks as if I've got a good group this go around." She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Irina, good to see you again, same to you Victoria. Elezar! Its been a while old man!" She greeted a fifty-something man with a warm hug.

"You know I can't stay away." He toothily grinned.

"And Edward, you must be new. Welcome to our little family." She surprised me with firm hug. She was soft and warm and felt entirely too good pressed against me. I tentatively returned her hug with a light pat on her back. It felt incredibly awkward. For me, at least.

"Thanks." I smiled nervously. Her sparkling brown eyes caught me off guard with their depth. She had slight dimples in her cheeks when she smiled, which seemed to be all the time. I wondered if her mother, Renee, had the same wavy chestnut hair.

"I'll show you guys around Rosa Zarate and where you'll get the building supplies. Trust me, you'll need to know your way around." She smirked and led us to a white utility van. Bella chatted comfortably with Elezar about the old days, what context they were in was lost on me. Irina and Victoria occupied the next row of seats, leaving me alone in the third row.

"So Edward, how did you hear about my little operation?" Bella asked from the driver's seat, which felt like miles away.

"Um, its a pretty long story." I chuckled.

"Its a long road into town, I think we have time." She shot back immediately. I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath.

"I'm fresh out of a divorce,"

"You're a little young for a mid-life crisis." Bella interrupted, her quirked eyebrow visible from the rear-view mirror.

"I got married right after of high school," I explained. "and well, it didn't last." I watched her dark hair bounce as she nodded, eyes still on the bumpy road. "I thought that since I'm still young, I should probably do something meaningful while I still have the energy. My mother, um, well she went to school with your mom and she gave me SFC's info." I winced at the awkwardness I felt inside.

"Oh my gosh! Are you Esme Cullen's son?" She squealed.

"Yeah, that's me." I smiled nervously as her eyes met mine through the mirror.

"Renee always talks about her time at Northwestern with Esme. Most of the details aren't what a parent would usually tell their child, but my mother has no filter." She laughed musically, the sound carried and echoed in the van.

"Is your mother still in Chicago?" I asked conversationally.

"No, she moved out to Florida to live with my step-dad. She does a reunion thing with her sorority every year, though."

"Ah yes, the night the ladies all descend upon my basement and my dad and I hole up in our rooms in fear." I snorted as I recalled the vivid memories of pink sequins and bottles upon bottles of margarita mix.

"I'm so sorry." She sympathized.

The trip to Rosa Zarate didn't last nearly as long with Bella's friendly banter with everyone in the group. Irina mostly kept to herself and her nail file, while Victoria was braiding wildflowers she picked near the build site. There was never such a cliche hippie pastime. Bella parked the van on a side road on the outskirts of the town, citing that bored teenagers would be less likely to steal or vandalize it if it was far from the town center. Again I was astounded by the colors; rich azures, bold yellows, and bright reds. We ventured through the dusty streets, through the busy market, and into a warehouse-looking building. Inside an elderly man warmly greeted Bella, kissing both of her pink cheeks.

"¿_Qué necesitas hoy, mi Bellita_?" The man asked in a gravely voice. She answered him in rapid-fire Spanish, leaving me in her lingual dust. He led us into another storeroom where piles of 2x4s were stacked neatly.

"_Gracias, Emilio_." She smiled and patted him lovingly on the back. "Alright, we'll take as many as we can carry back to the van. Hopefully we won't need to make many trips." She instructed. Irina clicked her teeth and rolled her eyes. It really seemed like I was the only one capable of carrying large amounts of supplies. I sighed and began arranging a pile of four or five beams that I would haul. I grunted and hoisted them up onto my shoulder. Elezar followed suit, as did Bella with her slightly smaller pile. It was now that the jet-lag caught up with me and I began feeling the effects of my early morning. The wood seemed to weigh an exaggerated amount. The short walk to the van lasted way too long and my shoulder was numb by the time we unloaded.

It took two more trips to get the rest of the wood loaded into the van. I was drenched in sweat and thoroughly exhausted. The sun was low in the sky, about to set, when we headed back to Dosantos. I was forever thankful that Bella blasted the air-conditioning in the van.

_If Tanya could see me now._

I smirked to myself the whole drive back.

* * *

_¡Bienvenido a Quito! - _Welcome to Quito!  
_Si, Hola, Adios, Cerveza- _Yes, Hello, Goodbye, Beer  
¿_Qué necesitas hoy, mi Bellita_? - What do you need today, my Bella?  
_Gracias, Emilio_ - Thank you, Emilio

**Thanks for reading! Ciao for now, dearies :)**

**-Hannah  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**As promised! Happy March, everyone :) Here is the latest installment of 'Mission'. I do hope you enjoy it. **

**As always, these characters aren't mine, but what I do with them is.**

* * *

For such a small village, Dosantos was _never_ quiet. During the day farmers carted their crops into town, sheep were herded down from pastures (and into the streets), and children scampered around the construction site, curious and eager to see where the playground would go. At night, music could be heard well past midnight and the sounds of the rain forest penetrated the dark. It would make for difficult sleeping when mixed with the ever-present heat, but my almost constant state of exhaustion knocked me out the moment my body hit the cot.

My second day in Dosantos found me filing papers for Bella. Most dealt with finances and planning January's trip to Thailand. I sorted them slowly, careful to avoid paper-cuts; my father had drilled it into my brain that infections out here could turn deadly without proper medical care (the first-aid kit under Bella's make-shift desk was surprisingly lacking).

"Its almost time for lunch, Edward." Bella smiled as she approached my chair. I checked my watch and was surprised at how much time had gone by since I had started. "Want to go over to the mess tent with me?" She asked.

"Sure." I carefully set my pile of papers under a stapler to keep them from being blown away by the god-send of a fan on the desk. We walked the short distance to where lunch was being served; today's menu included _locro_ with a side of seasoned rice.

"So tell me, what do you do for a living?" Bella inquired as we set our plates down at a rickety folding table.

"I work at a law firm."

"So you're not actually a lawyer?" She giggled.

"I have a law degree, so technically I _am_ a lawyer. My boss just hasn't assigned me any cases yet." I laughed.

"Well, Mr. Fancy Suit, tell me about Chicago." She smirked.

"Its nothing like this." I frowned. "Sure its a lively city, but it doesn't feel even remotely as welcoming as Dosantos."

"I know what you mean. When I'm not traveling I work out of Seattle, and the largeness of it all can be really overwhelming. Coming here and doing something meaningful, well its really quite fulfilling." She smiled warmly. I could tell that Bella cared deeply for her organization's mission. It made me feel a strange warmth throughout my body.

"So my mom knows your mom. Good thing this isn't an awkward play-date where I have to pretend to like you." She winked. Her musical laughter floated around the now crowded mess tent.

"Yeah, I'd end up stealing all your toys or something." I joked. She stuck a bubble-gum pink tongue out at me and I had the foreign urge to taste her. My cheeks flushed and I dropped my head to stare at my lukewarm soup. I swirled my spoon in the thick liquid and laughed awkwardly.

"Oh please, my Barbies have been through much worse. My cousin used to pop off their heads and put them on toothpick poles in order to complete his sandbox graveyard." Bella snorted.

"Wow. I don't think even barbies deserve that kind of punishment."

"That's debatable. Those skinny bitches." She laughed devilishly.

We finished our lunch and parted ways in order to finish our work for the day. I didn't have much paperwork left, so I was assured of at least one early night that week. I was getting used to the tropical heat, but I never hesitated to bring my old baseball cap with me to keep the sun out of my eyes. The fraying fabric on the brim drove my father nuts. He always said it made me look like a mugger and that I should be ashamed of it. I wore it to spite him.

I thought briefly of Jasper and Emmett. I wondered if they would be sitting down at our usual bar hangout, Mickey's. Em would have probably spotted some hot young thing already and Jasper would more than likely be chatting up Alice, our favorite waitress. It sucked to think that they still might harbor a grudge towards me, but my life had new perspective now. One that encompassed more than just my immediate relations.

It was about eight by the time I headed back to my tent, tired and spent from a last minute run to Rosa Zarate for sheets of drywall. I was surprised at how fast the school was coming together. Even though my group had come mid project, the construction seemed to be ahead of schedule.

"Edward! Hey, wanna grab a drink? Some guys have got a bonfire going, too." Peter called to me from across the row of tents. A chance to relax and unwind was exactly what I needed.

"Yeah, I'd love to." I answered and followed him to where a soft orange light was flickering against the backdrop of black jungle. It was about a five minute walk to where the party was located, probably to keep fire as far away as possible from the not-yet completed school house. Most everyone from my flight was there, including some locals. People were drinking, laughing, and singing what I assumed were Spanish camp-fire songs. But for all I knew they could have been singing about chlamydia. My Spanish was that bad.

I sat down on a folding chair next to Elezar and he handed me what looked like a bottle of beer. I took a swig and grimaced; it had quite a strong bite.

"This must be a local concoction." I chocked. Elezar laughed his raspy laugh and slapped his knee.

"Yeah, its the Ecuador equivalent of moonshine. A guy in town makes it and fills old bottles with it, makes for a weird taste if you get a little of what was left over." I braced myself and took another, smaller, sip.

More people eventually settled down and the singing got louder and louder. I looked for Bella's distinct brown waves, but in the dark, everyone's hair turned a chest-nutty brown. Then, I heard her voice rise above the other loud cries as the song reached a high note. I couldn't help but laugh at the drunken smiles and cheers. Out of nowhere, Bella appeared in front of me, cheeks rosy from the alcohol and eyes bright with the reflection off the bonfire.

"Fun, isn't it?" She shouted over the singing.

"This beats clubbing in Chicago!" She laughed bubbily and grabbed my hands to pull me out of my chair.

"C'mon, let's dance!" I noticed the few others that had risen to dance and shake off their worries. I shook my head and covered my face. I was about as awkward as an ostrich's first and only attempt at flight when it came to dancing. "Edward, if you don't dance, I'll sentence you to permanent tent arrest!" She cracked up and stumbled slightly.

"You've had quite a bit to drink, haven't you."

"Naaahh." She snickered. I rose to my feet to steady her, but instead of getting her footing, she managed to twirl me around; the alcohol made my vision spin. Peter and Elezar laughed at us and my own voice bubbled up from my chest into a chuckle. To our right Irina rolled her eyes and clutched her cigarette tightly. She stood up, about to say something, but a tall local man stepped in front of her.

"Dance?" He slurred

"Get out of my way." She snapped.

"_Dios mio!_ She break my heart!" He took another swig from his bottle and rejoined his friends.

"Edward, she doesn't look so good." Irina touched my arm and pointed to Bella.

"I know but she won't listen to me." Bella swayed fluidly back and forth as I held her upright by her arms. They were so small, my fingers wrapping around her forearms all the way.

"I'll help you take her back to the tents." Irina offered.

"Thanks." I smiled and moved so that Irina and I could each take one of Bella's arms and drape it over our shoulders. We walked Bella over to the main construction area. I wasn't exactly sober myself, but compared to the girls, I was the best at walking at the moment. "Where's her tent?" I asked.

"Right here." We led Bella into the small tan space and lowered her onto the cot.

"Guyyys, where are you going!" Bella cried as we started to leave.

"Go to sleep." Irina all but commanded.

"You're so mean." She slurred. After a few seconds her lids drooped and her breathing slowed. I was sure enough that she was asleep and Irina and I left her to sleep it off.

"That could have ended badly." I mumbled to myself.

"No kidding." Irina laughed. She threaded her arm through mine and leaned into me as we walked back to the fire. I could tell that she was still a little drunk from the stumble in her walk, so I supported her and kept her from falling flat on her back. She leaned on me with her entire weight, resting her cheek on my arm. She reminded me of Tanya, sweet but fierce and not afraid to say what was on her mind. It made my heart ache a little to know that at one time, Tanya had needed me and I had needed her. We had supported each other, and here I was, helping an inebriated socialite get back on her feet. Literally. Irina's lips lightly brushed against my forearm as she turned her head into my body. I felt needed, something that had escaped me for quite some time and I smiled at the thought.

Once back at the bonfire, I deposited Irina on a folding chair next to Victoria before slumping back into my chair. I caught Victoria staring at me venomously, but I was too tired to care. The effects of the native drink had almost worn off and my body was left feeling heavy. The air was starting to cool slightly and more and more people were beginning to head back to their tents. I finally lifted myself up and walked back with Peter at god knows what hour. I hit my cot like a ton of bricks and was out within the minute.

The next morning was rough. Like sand paper across a brush burn rough. My head pounded and my mouth was as dry as the Sahara, but Schools for Change didn't take days off. I peeled myself off my cot and rubbed my heavy eyes. I sat on the edge of the lumpy mattress and ran my hands through my seriously bed-headed hair. I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and shorts and pulled them on. I sleepily headed over to the showers, shirt in hand. The morning air was cool enough to perk me up, but still warm enough to make being shirtless still appropriate. The outhouse style showers were small but at least they were private. I shed my shorts and boxers and hung them on the railing outside the door along with my shirt. The water was sharply cold and it caused my entire body to shiver awake. Soon enough the water warmed to a tolerable temperature and I was able to wash away the night before. I wondered how Bella was faring this morning. She probably wouldn't be in a very good mood, but that was understandable, considering the night she'd had. I toweled myself off, grabbed my clothes from the rail and threw them on.

My old sneakers squeaked on the dew-wet grass as I walked over to my work station. I was utterly shocked to see Bella, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, giving directions to an electrician.

"Teachers usually prefer the outlets near their desks for lamps and computers." She said calmly.

"I'll tell my guys to shift them over, then." He smiled and walked off. I approached her with a quizzical look.

"Wow, you have got to give me your recipe for that hangover cure." I laughed.

"Oh Edward, I've had some practice in this subject area." She winked one of her brown eyes and handed me a file folder. "On a more serious note, we have to deal with this." I opened the folder to see a whole stack of official looking documents written in Spanish.

"What are these?"

"The government has taken issue with our funding source, calling us an illegal operation." She looked on the verge of tears, the happy and vibrant Bella all but gone in a flash. "I can't believe they would accuse me of running an organization like that! In one report they claim I'm exploiting the children! Can you believe this?" She sighed heavily and sunk into a metal folding chair.

"They're trying to force you out of the country? But why?"

"I guess they think I'm insulting their ability to manage the state." She supported her chin in her hands and chewed her berry pink lips. I knelt down next to her and picked her chin up with my index finger.

"Hey. I'm going to look through all of these, and when I'm done, I'm going to see just how legal their claims are. I'll have to do some research on the laws here, but nothing is going to push you out." I promised.

"Thank you so much, Edward." She said while holding back tears. I wasn't going to let Bella lose everything she had worked to set up, especially when SFC was such an important force for good.

For once in my life, I could use my skills for something that really mattered, something that would affect more than just my immediate circle of friends and family. I had the opportunity to change a community half a world away for the better. I smiled as I set down to examine the English pages of the reports, searching for anything that could help Bella's case. A renewed energy and purpose surged through me. It was exactly what I had hoped to find here.

* * *

_locro_ - potato, cheese, corn, and avocado soup  
_Dios mio!_ - My God!, or Oh my God!

**Please review, I love hearing from readers!  
I'll have chapter four ready to go soon, I promise! **

**Also, I was thinking (and writing), and I probably can shrink the time between updates to maybe 3 weeks instead of a whole month. I have a lot more free time now a days (school is starting to wind down) and that equals more chapters faster. I'll keep everyone update!**

**-Hannah  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Twilight isn't mine, but this story is. No plagiarism intended! **

* * *

Even though I was looking into the Ecuadorian government's reports, I still had my other jobs to do. Supplies still needed to be brought in from Rosa Zarate, and inventories still needed to be taken. Needless to say, I was exhausted. For only having been in the country for four days, I was already up to my neck in work. It was all worth it, though. Having people like Elezar, Peter, and especially Bella, made the organization run like a well oiled machine. I wasn't going to let any lurking legal issues throw a wrench into the mix. Unfortunately, a group of local kids had made a habit of frequenting SFC's work zone. This time around, they had brought a ball with them and were playing soccer in and around the main administrative tent. They were extremely entertaining and distracting. My productivity was basically zero and I kept reading the same translated paragraph over and over again.

"_Oye chicos! Lleven este juego afuera!_" Bella yelled at the cheeky kids. One boy, who was taller than the rest, kicked the ball through Bella's legs. She nearly tripped, losing her balance almost completely. Before her butt could hit the floor, I managed to hook my arm around her waist and pulled her into my side.

"Gotcha." I smiled and set her back on her feet.

"Thanks." She blushed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Once this school is built, they'll be out of the village's hair." She laughed breathily. After chewing her lip for a few seconds, Bella let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry I've been so distracted, its just that I can't stop thinking about that report."

"I know what you mean. It kinda keeps me up at night." I chuckled awkwardly.

"Tell me about it." Bella said with a roll of her eyes.

"Bella, can I talk to you for a minute?" I all but whispered.

"Edward, we are talking."

"I mean in private." I looked around the bustling tent, happy that most everyone was focused on their own work and not Bella and me.

"Oh, sure."

The two of us walked the short distance from the main tent towards the treeline. I nervously ran my fingers through my hair, not really sure how to break two big pieces of bad news to Bella Swan.

"Edward, you're scaring me. What is it?" She asked softly. We stopped walking near a particularly large banana tree. I picked at some of its bark, peeling it off and ripping it up in my hands.

"What do you want first, the bad news or the bad news?" I cringed at my cliche.

"Please, just spit it out."

"Bella, my boss, Aro, is only letting me stay here in Ecuador for a month."

"Wait, what? No, you can't leave, I need you here!" She cried.

"I know, I know. A month was all the leave time he was willing to give me. I'm so sorry." My hand reflexively want back to run through my tangled hair.

"I'm afraid to ask what the other bad news is." She said in a tiny voice. I took a step towards her and shoved my hands into the pockets of my shorts.

"There is an issue with one of your funding sources. I looked into the records of SFC and Volturi Co., the investment firm, and some numbers don't really add up." I held my breath as I waited for her response.

"Edward, I think I need to sit down." She exhaled deeply before slumping down on a raised tree root.

"I'm so sorry."

"Is there anything we can do?" She looked at me expectantly. I felt awful.

"I mean, I can do some research into their company, but I'm afraid a month might not be long enough to fully investigate this." I joined her on the tree root and stared at the mushy ground.

"Okay." She said, defeated. A few minutes of charged silence passed before I couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you want to go into town with me?" She looked up at me, puzzled.

"Is there something you need there?"

"Well, no, not really." I admitted sheepishly.

"Okay."

I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't been intrigued by a woman since Tanya, and well, when we met, she was more a girl than a woman. We arrived at the only bar in Dosantos after a day's work around five. The place was already packed. I recognized a few SFC volunteers, but the crowd was mostly made up of locals. I managed to snag us a table while Bella flagged down a server. We each ordered a beer and a_ sanduche de chancho_ and fell into relatively easy conversation.

"I can't believe you'll only be here for a month." She said with a far off look.

"I wish I could stay longer, believe me, I do, but it would mean losing my job." An awkward silence surrounded us and I picked the label off of my bottle. She held her head down, picking at her fingernails.

"Its a shame you won't be able to stay for _Día de los Difuntos_ in November, the ceremonies are beautiful." She said wistfully.

"I see you're using the guilt trip technique." I quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Can you blame me for trying?" Bella blushed and looked away.

We finished eating (and drinking) around nine and walked back to the school grounds. It was a beautiful night, a warm breeze picked up and played with strands of Bella's hair. I stopped us right before we reached the tent area and pointed to the sky.

"See that constellation there, the one that looks like a cursive 'm'?"

"Um, I think so?" She laughed.

"That's Aquarius, and next to it is Capricornus, you can tell because it looks like a goat's head."

"How do you know all that?"

"When I was little I wanted to be astrophysicist. Don't laugh, but I had dozens of books about the stars. I've memorized the constellation pages. Its just something about the way humans can look up at the sky, see these specks of light, and dream up fantastic stories about them, that fascinates me." She looked at me thoughtfully before turning away and sighing.

"What is it?" I asked. Bella chuckled softly and shook her head. "Bella," I reached for her hand, but she pulled away.

"I thought you were going to kiss me." She whispered, her eyes low. My chest froze. She moved to walk away but I managed to grab her arm to keep her close.

"I didn't know you wanted me to."

"Please?" She said with sad eyes.

* * *

**More to come...**

_**Oye, chicos! Lleven este juego afuera!-** Listen kids! Take this game outside!**  
Sanduche de chancho:** a sandwich made with crusty bread, broiled pork leg, pork juice, and red onion sauce  
**Día de los Difuntos**_**:** _known as All Souls Day, masses of people visit cemeteries, taking along the favorite food dishes to share with their loved ones by their graves. __There is a tradition of ringing bells all throughout All Souls Day, the belief was that the "voices" of the bells would liberate some souls from the purgatory. Candles are placed into pitchers of blessed water, a ritual believed to extinguish the flames that burn the souls of the purgatory. Takes place on the 2nd of November. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5! Enjoy xx**

**Twilight belongs to SM...in case you didn't know...**

* * *

_"What is it?" I asked. Bella chuckled softly and shook her head. "Bella," I reached for her hand, but she pulled away._

_"I thought you were going to kiss me." She whispered, her eyes low. My chest froze. She moved to walk away but I managed to grab her arm to keep her close._

_"I didn't know you wanted me to."_

_"Please?" She said with sad eyes._

My body tensed as I stared down at her. I thought about asking her if she was sure, but I knew it would ruin the moment. Plus, if she wasn't certain, she wouldn't be asking me to kiss her, right? Her pink lips were pursed but her eyes were still down. I wanted to see her eyes, her pretty chocolate eyes, flecked with gold. I lifted her chin up and leaned in eager to finally taste her. When our lips touched, she all but melted into me. Everything was soft and warm and welcoming. I didn't want to over-do a first kiss, so I reluctantly pulled away. She opened her eyes and smiled brightly.

"That wasn't very professional of me, was it." She giggled slightly.

"You can do anything when you're the boss." I countered with a laugh. Bella sighed and looked off in the distance towards the tents.

"Its pretty late. We should probably get back." Bella sighed quietly. I nodded solemnly in the bright moonlight. I took her hand in mine and led her back to the camps, careful not to trip over any construction equipment.

"Night, Edward." She yawned and squeezed my hand one last time before disappearing into her dark little tent.

That night, I slept like a goddamn rock. True, our kiss had complicated things, but I went to sleep with a contented feeling that tricked my brain into thinking everything was sugar plums and lollipops. Bella has that effect on people. I awoke to bright sunlight streaming in through the flaps of my tent, past the mosquito netting (which truly was a godsend). My body creaked as I rose to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I smiled at the memory of Bella's face and rushed my morning routine as to see her in the main tent as soon as possible.

"Good morning, Edward." Irina greeted me with a bowl of fresh fruit, a bit of treasure in the camp. Most of the food was either freeze dried, pre-packaged, or just down-right inedible mash.

"'Mornin' Irina. What's the special occasion?" I nodded at the fruit. She tittered and pushed it towards me.

"I just wanted to share my find, that's all." She smiled widely and sauntered off to her post, swinging her hips a mile left and right. I chuckled to myself and started devouring the fresh mangoes and bananas. I may have moaned a little. It seemed like ages since I had eaten a good, ripe mango. _Mango-fucking-tastic._

"Oh! Edward, there you are." I heard Bella's clear voice from a small distance away. I swiveled around to see her holding the tent flap open. I smiled like a loon, cheeks full of fruit like a squirrel. She let out a bright laugh and shook her head. "I just wanted to let you know that we got another stack of papers from the government today. I think they're trying to paper jam our attempts."

"Hey, don't worry, we'll find something." I patted her on the shoulder and set to work.

I spent hours pouring over the folders of legal documents. Most of the claims were completely outlandish (exploiting the children, really?), but there was one donor that didn't sit right with me. Volturi Co. and it's sister company Volturi Industries. Volturi Industries, I discovered, was a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company. On Volturi Co.'s website they claimed to have donated one million dollars to SFC, but the Ecuadorian government cited that Volturi Industries was the benefactor, only providing $500,000 in funding. It just didn't add up. Bella was getting conned. I crossed my fingers that it was just an error made by the web designers, but the sick feeling in my stomach made it hard to believe that everything was that simple. I had to find Bella. I finally ran into her on the build site where she was talking to one of the foremen.

"Hey." I greeted her nervously.

"Hi Edward. What's up?"

"I may have found a lead."

"Great! The sooner this is resolved, the better." She exhaled deeply.

"Just to make sure I'm on the right track, I need to see a list of donors and how much they gave."

"Oh. All of those records are back in Seattle. It'll take a while for me to produce them." She chewed her lip in frustration.

"Okay. Oh, and Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, your hair looks really nice today." _Facepalm._ She smiled brightly as I walked away. _If that wasn't the stupidest sounding compliment ever..._ I hadn't flirted in forever, and it definitely was not like riding a bicycle.

The next two weeks were a whirlwind. I split my time between running supplies and researching Volturi Industries. It was exhausting. Thankfully, I was kept company by a few people taking breaks in the administration tent. Most days it was either Bella or Peter, but sometimes Irina would pop in for a bit, followed by Victoria. The two were almost inseparable. I suspected that Victoria wanted more out of their friendship. I knew that love-struck look- I saw it every time Jasper looked at Alice the waitress. Of course, he was too shy to ever do anything about it, though.

Every Friday night, Bella and I would go back to the one and only bar in Dosantos for drinks. It always ended the same- we would walk back to the construction site, briefly kiss goodnight, and part ways. It was confusing as next morning she would greet me in a strictly professional manner. I didn't have the slightest clue of what she wanted from me. I ruled out a casual fuck because Bella just wasn't one of those girls. I couldn't wrap my head around the situation. It was distracting and frankly, I was running out of time in Ecuador.

* * *

**The mystery of the Volturi companies deepens...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello there! I am aware of how late this is, please forgive! I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

One week. I had one week left. When I first left Chicago, I never expected to to become so emotionally invested in this trip. I was dreading Friday; my departure day. It meant leaving behind all that I had worked tirelessly for- the smooth operation of Schools for Change and eventually solving Bella's organizational issues. My frustration transformed into anger, mostly towards Aro for not letting me stay the full four month duration. I was moody and frustrated at best. It certainly didn't help that Irina was hanging around my rickety desk, asking in a sugary voice, _"Need me to do anything?"_, _"Oh please let me help!"_. I knew she was only trying to be useful, but there really wasn't much she could do that didn't require a legal eye. She was the least of my worries, though.

I had to resolve, or at least clarify, things with Bella. I needed to know exactly how she felt, and ultimately, what she wanted from me; be it a relationship, friendship, or a nice neat professional acquaintance. Although, I would hardly call our behavior towards each other 'professional'. Some nights she would ind me pouring over documents, the large tent lit only by my small yet powerful Coleman lantern. It would be just the two of us, talking about anything and everything, and sometimes stealing kisses in lulls of conversation.

I couldn't help but compare Tanya and Bella, even though I knew it was unfair to both of them. Tanya was tall, willowy, with a face that drew attention from everyone in a twenty-foot was sharp, demanding, and very high strung- but by some magic, she had the ability to make a man feel powerful, even when she was controlling him. Tanya planned her life months in advance in meticulous detail, and in the end, I was the one making all the sacrifices in our relationship. Frankly, she was fun but incredibly exhausting. But Bella, Bella was was like no one I had ever met. She was a tiny ball of energy, with a soft glow about her that made you feel happy for no reason at all. Bella was the complete opposite of Tanya in her self-sacrificing nature. She was compassionate, zealous, and, to quote Ibsen, she was "full of the joy of life".

I was fairly certain of my feelings towards Bella- I liked her. A lot. It scared me in a way. It felt so sudden- I had only been divorced for a little over three weeks- and I never expected feelings of this magnitude towards someone this quickly. I just felt _cuddly_ around her, for fuck's sake.

"Edward!" Elezar's familiar raspy voice called as he made his way towards my makeshift workspace. "I hear its your last week!" He made a face and slapped my shoulder with more strength than I had anticipated.

"Yeah, unfortunately." I scanned the bustling tent and sighed. "I'm really going to miss this."

"And we're all going to miss having you around!" He shook his head and sat on the folding chair next to me. "Bella especially."

"Wha?" My pen slipped and I ended up crossing out the annotations I had just made.

"That girl runs a tight ship, and trust me, she knows a good man when she sees one. I hope you can come back, Edward." He rose and nodded cryptically before leaving through the large open tent flap. I sat for a long minute trying to reign in my smile. I had really started to feel part of the Schools for Change family. And not in the formal, cold, corporate sense. I knew the best way for me to contribute was for me to figure out Bella's legal problems.

It was hard to make sense of some of the papers, but most of the consisted of accusations that Schools for Change was clearing land in a protected rain forest preserve, which was illegal. This didn't make any sense, though, because, as a supply runner, I knew first hand that all the lumber used on the build site came from a local vendor- SFC never actually cut down any trees. I had to tell Bell, so I set off to find her among the throngs of people painting the outside of the school house. I took a moment to step back and gaze at the three roomed-building; things certainly had come a long way since I had arrived. Even though I hadn't actually wielded a hammer, I felt as though I was every as a part of the school house as anyone else. It filled me with a foreign sense of pride.

"Hey, there!" My favorite voice said close to my ear.

"Good morning, Bella." I smiled. "I've got some interesting news for you."

"Oh? Lay it on me." Gulp. She should be more careful with her phrasing.

I told her about the illegal forest clearing, all the while her eyes bulged at the ludicrousness of it all.

"But that's ridiculous! I get all of my wood supplies from Emilio, and he owns a tree farm." She was visibly seething. "Edward, you'll get to the bottom of this, won't you?"

"Of course." I vowed. My plane left for Chicago in three days, but I would figure out what the hell was going on.

* * *

**Sorry about the delay, I went through a move and the start of a new semester so things got hectic. Hope this will tide you over until my next bought of free time! **

**3 **


	7. Chapter 7

**Edward's departure grows nearer. Will he dig deep enough to find his answers, or just end up trapped in a hole?**

* * *

Three days. _Fuck._ As I laid down on my springy cot, my mind was racing a mile a minute. Thoughts of flipping Aro the bird and staying in Ecuador swirled in the forefront of my mind; taunting me. I knew it was the stupidest thing I could do career-wise, but damn it if it wasn't tempting. So much of what I wanted out of life was now centered in Dosantos: a fulfilling job and a beautiful girl. My life was starting to feel like a Lifetime movie. But without the cheesy piano interludes. My introspection was broken by the now unfamiliar sound of my cell phone ringing. _Em?_

"Uh, hello?" I spoke uneasily into the receiver.

"EDDIE!" Came Emmett's booming reply. I had to hold my phone away from my ear to prevent permanent hearing loss.

"Hey Emmett, what's up?" I was extremely happy to hear from someone from my Chicago life—especially since I thought he was still holding a grudge against me.

"_What? Yeah man, I'm telling him now! _Sorry, but you'll never guess!"

"Um, what's going on?" Emmett never was very good at keeping secrets. My question was met with snickering and muffled laughter. "This better not be a prank call man, long distance isn't cheap you bastard."

"Jasper is getting married!" He practically screamed.

"_What?"_ So. Many. Questions.

"Yeah! You remember Alice the waitress, right?"

"Are you serious? He could barely string together a sentence around her! I can't believe I missed him growing a pair."

"Once you talk to her, like really _talk_, you'll understand."

"You've gone soft, too?" I ribbed him.

"…So when are you coming back?" He sounded like a lost puppy. People didn't often get to see this side of him—they only saw the beefy exterior and intimidating size.

I was torn. Of course I missed my best friends and I wouldn't miss Jasper's wedding for the world, but here I was on another hemisphere, loving the shit out of my new life. I knew how disappointed Em and Jasper would be if I told them I wasn't coming back. I mean, I couldn't stay here forever, no matter how important the school was.

"My flight leaves on Wednesday." I said in my most businesslike tone.

"That's awesome! Los Amigos reunited once again!" I laughed at our little group's epithet, remembering the night we were christened Los Amigos: college…tequila…sombreros…disposable camera. Not a story for the grandkids.

After my phone call with Emmett, I couldn't help but wonder why Jasper hadn't been the one to deliver the news. It bothered me that he didn't feel that he could tell me in person. Or had he put Emmett in charge of the inviting? That didn't sound like Jasper, though. I would be able to ask him in person soon enough. I slipped into an entirely restless sleep, my head more clouded than ever.

When I woke up, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I sped through my shower and threw on my clothes, hoping that they wouldn't look too wrinkled. I practically jogged over to the administration tent and opened the flap-door with a little too much vigor. I whipped my head back and forth, searching and scanning for those chocolate waves. It seemed like I spent most of my time looking for Bella. I was okay with that. I realized that she wasn't there and resigned, reluctantly, to my desk to make some more headway on the mess of paperwork that was waiting for me. I slumped down into my sad excuse for a chair and upon leafing through a file got a nasty paper cut. _Great. Now I've bled all over this piece of paper._ But when I tried to dab the little red dots off the sheet, something caught my eye. It was a name that I had seen before, but could barely remember, like a name on a roll of movie credits.

_Marco Amador._

He was listed as one of the key investigators in the Ecuadorian government's case against Schools for Change, but why did he sound so familiar? I racked my brain for what felt like hours. I scanned and searched paragraph after paragraph of preliminary research I had done, but yielded no results. I was about to give up when it hit me. I furiously searched the bookmarks on my laptop and found what I had been looking for.

The website of Volturi Industries couldn't hide _everything_. I quickly found Amador's name and information. He was the director of Philanthropic Operations and I was willing to bet my balls he was the one feeding lies about SFC to the Ecuadorian government. I was so focused on my find that I didn't hear the approaching footsteps of the very person I wanted to see. Her light touch on my shoulder caused me to jump.

"Oh! Bella, hey."

When I saw her face, everything instantly changed. My insides constricted and I knew that telling her about Amador was the last thing I wanted to do. I feared that if I handed her all of my findings, she would have no further use for me- our bais of connection would be empty and null. To what extent was our relationship based on this case? I didn't think her the manipulative type, but my newly divorced insecurity toyed with my perception. I fell back on my paranoia and decided to keep Amador to myself. I would justify it with distance. I would be back in Chicago, send her my finished investigation, and console my fresh wounds in the company of friends and distant family.

"What's on your mind?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Nothing, just a paper cut."


	8. Chapter 8

**I'M BACK! I am crazy sorry for the (extremely) prolonged hiatus. I just sort of fell out with this story, but it's back in full force now. I hope you guys still want to read more. Enjoy, and once again, SORRY!**

* * *

I was a complete fucking coward. There's nothing more to it. I had the chance to spill everything to Bella and I chickened out. No amount of self-justification could retroactively force my head out of my own ass. That night, I ducked out of dinner early and went straight to my tent to sort out my head. _This was never part of the plan_. Sure, the school was almost ready to be opened, but it wouldn't matter if the government came and shut it down after SFC left the area. Piled on top of that shit sandwich was the pickle of confusion between Bella and me. Either there was a mutual attraction (in which case we were doomed by distance), or she was just using me to sort out her legal problems. _Just for once, I want someone to like me for my personality, _the teenage girl in my brain whined. Not knowing what would happen on Friday, my stomach swirled in knots. Or maybe it was the beans from dinner. No, it was definitely the nerves.

After racking my brain for an action plan, I knew that no matter what transpired between myself and Bella, I would get to the bottom of Volturi Co. I made it a promise to myself. I wasn't going to let some big company push around a little guy like SFC. That night I slept soundly, surprising since nerves usually fuck up my sleep schedule. I woke early, before the sun rose. I resolved to tell Bella at least one thing—I would continue to _pro bono_ legal service after I left. It was the least I could do.

I dragged my feet all morning, almost missing a meeting about the ribbon cutting ceremony. The thought of putting myself out there and actually telling Bella that I thought about her hair before I went to sleep, that her cheeks when she smiled made her eyes crinkle and sparkle-the thought of even putting it all into words, terrified the shit out of me. I wonder when I last felt this way about Tanya. But then again, maybe all of that was high school-a rage of hormones and confused excitement mixed with feelings of self-importance.

_A month is not nearly long enough for us_, I thought dejectedly.

When I did finally get to my desk, the little fan oscillating back and forth like the little engine that could, I sat down heavily. I watched everyone hurridly rush around, trying to get the finishing touches wrapped up. We were to finish a day ahead of schedule. The friends I had made seemed to race around my desk in a blur—faces I never thought I would get so attached to. My faraway stare was shattered by the startling appearance of Bella's face, inches from my own. I'm pretty sure I jumped.

"Edward, are you ok? You don't look so good."

"Oh. No, I'm fine. I mean, yes, I'm fine." _Fuck. Wait, what was coming out of my mouth?_ "Just a lot on my mind is all." I gave her a weak smile that I'm sure didn't fool anyone.

"Any updates on how I'm bringing down the state?" I snorted and shook my head.

"I have a name I that want to look into, but other than that, it's brick wall after brick wall."

"Tear 'em down for me." She winked and it made my chest hurt.

It seemed almost cold the way she didn't even seem upset by my leaving. Maybe she really didn't care. _Fuck it all, this stuff is hard_. I knew I was out of practice in the dating game, but was it always this complicated? I didn't understand why it was so difficult. Law school wasn't even this bad.

We went our separate ways for the rest of the day. I made a trip into Rosa Zarate for the very last supply run—paint, brushes, and several boxes of donated books. I hated the way everything I did had a sense of finality to it. Maybe Carlisle was on to something with the way he shook off sentimentality.

I bought some fruit at a street stall and munched angrily on the drive back. When I had asked who wanted to come with, everyone, even Elezar, had suffled off claiming to be 'too busy'. _Great, now I'm a leper. _I missed Jasper and Emmett. They always knew exactly what to say that would take my mind off the world. And that's when it hit me that Jasper was getting married. I beamed; my boy's all grown up. He had always been lacking in the flirting department, and Emmett and I used to tease him for being shy. _ He sure showed us._

I got back to Dosantos in a much better mood than I had left. I was greeted by the sticky-sweet smell of Irina's perfume, which she wore every day, despite the fact that it attracted half the bugs in Ecuador.

"Edward, I can't believe you're leaving so soon!" She practically wailed.

"I know. God, I had no idea time would fly by so fast."

"We'll all be a little lost without you, you know."

"Didn't think I'd make such a splash." I joked. In reality, I _was _surprised that everyone had more or less adopted me into this weird little family.

She helped me unload most of my cargo and it seemed that maybe I had misjudged her—Irina could be really sweet, though she rarely let it show. I could see what Victoria saw in her. I only hoped she found the courage to tell Irina. But I was a major hypocrite for even suggesting that—I could barely form a coherent thought every time I thought about tasking Bella about us.

Once the last box of books was unloaded and deposited in the growing 'donations' pile, I resolved to finally hold myself to my promise. I found Bella in a group of people getting ready to paint the classrooms. It seemed as if some of the group didn't think the color was right, while others didn't think it mattered. _Everyone has an opinion in a group project. _

"Edward! You're back, good, there's something I want you to see." Bella grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards the tent area. I wanted to ask where we were going, but my brain disconnected itself from my mouth and I followed her in stupid silence. There were _many_things I wanted to ask her. _Do you think about me at all? Why do you always smell like strawberries? Do I really have to leave?_ She led me back to the area where we danced around the bonfire that very first week. We stopped just before a little path that led further into the trees. I hadn't seen it that night since it was so dark. I looked at her, puzzled.

"You're too tall for me to cover your eyes, so you'll have to promise to close them and not to peek!"

"I promise."


	9. Chapter 9

**I have quite a lot of free time on my hands, nowadays, so hopefully I'll be using it to write. I hope you all enjoy what I have so far! **

* * *

"_I promise._"

I didn't want to close my eyes, I really just wanted to keep them on Bella, but I did as she asked. She continued to pull me forward by the hand, letting me know when to step over an obstacle. It seemed like we walked for ages, but when your eyes are closed, your brain shuts down a little. I focused on how good it felt to hold her hand, how soft and small it was. She gave a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay, we're here." She lightly grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face a different direction. "You can open now."

I opened my eyes and it hit me that it was a lot darker wherever I was than the worksite. I guessed we were fairly far into the jungle. What hit me next nearly knocked me off my feet.

Peter, Irina, Victoria, Elezar, and a bunch of other SFC volunteers stood around a big table, piled high with the most delicious food.

"What, what is this?" I sputtered.

"Everyone wanted to throw you a little going away party. We're all going to miss you, Edward. A lot." Bella smiled sheepishly.

Never in my life had I been more surprised. I had met most of these people only a month ago, and it didn't seem possible that they would mean so much to me after such a short time. The picture was almost complete; all that was missing was Jasper and Emmett.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you? I mean, wow." I was at a loss for words. My cheeks hurt from smiling already.

"Let's dig in!" Peter howled. Bella grabbed my hand again and we walked over to the table. I didn't want to let go but was forced to when I was ambushed by a massive hug from Elezar.

"We're gonna miss your young muscle ya' hear?" He rasped. You couldn't help but like him. He made you feel like you had a long lost uncle who wanted to take you under his wing. "Now c'mon, we're all starvin'."

The food was amazing, nothing like the budget stuff we got at the mess tent. I felt a little guilty that an expense was made on my account, but a few bites into my _llapingachos de mote_ and my eyes were rolling back into my head. They must have had help from some locals.

A few folding chairs were set up in a circle in that little clearing and I couldn't help but think of all the secret spots in the jungle that were yet unexplored. I was thankful that Bella sat next to me. It always felt good to be near her. On my other side, sat an over-perfumed Irina. She was rambling on about how she didn't get to go home for another three months and that all her fellow society sisters would throw her a party ten times better than this one. I shook my head and thought about roots. I thought about Carlisle and how he might actually be proud of me. I thought about my mother and I thought about home. I was in a bubble, and it took Bella's hand on my leg to pop me out of it.

"Peter wants to know if we should take this party to the bar in town. You in?" I couldn't say no to that.

"I'd like that." As much as I loved having everyone around, I wasn't exactly in a partying mood. But I wasn't going to pass up a chance to dance with Bella again. Liam and a few others volunteered to stay behind and pack the table and chairs away. We promised to save them a spot at the bar. The walk back to the tents didn't seem nearly as long as I remembered it with my eyes closed, but there were quite a few more obstacles and I was thankful to have been in such good hands. Just then, Irina snaked her arm around mine and bombarded me with questions.

"So, who are you going home to, Eddie?" My body shuddered at the little nickname Tanya gave me in high school. I really hated being called that.

"One of my best friends is getting married," _Shit, I needed a gift. _"and then I guess I'll go back to work." I cringed at the thought of being stuck in a cubicle all day.

"I love weddings!" Peter exclaimed from behind us. He clapped his meaty hands on my back. "Lots of booze and dancing, how can you not like that." I had to agree with him. The only downside was having to endure the toasts and speeches. Irina rolled her eyes.

"I mean, who's picking you up from the airport?"

"A cab, I guess. My apartment is a little too far from the metro." She inched a little closer.

"I think she's asking if you have a girlfriend." Bella snapped. She walked with her head down, watching her steps carefully. _God your hair looks pretty in this light._

I regained my composure enough to mumble 'divorced'. The word stung a lot more than I thought it would on its way out of my mouth.

"Oh! I forgot!" Irina laughed rather childishly. This was the side of her that needed to take a back seat.

It was if she could sense how uncomfortable I was, so Bella who I had never seen be even a tiny ounce of mean, turned it around.

"When's your disciplinary hearing, Irina?" It came out, intentionally or not, as almost a snarl. I guess Bella wasn't always kittens and rainbows. I could live with that. Our little group fell silent after that and the walk to the bar was nearing uncomfortable levels. _I'm not the only one who isn't in a partying mood, now. _When we got there, the after work crowd had already arrived and space was tight. I sincerely hoped that once everyone had a little cerveza in their veins, they'd loosen up. I was right.

Once Liam and the clean up gang showed up, people began to get a little rowdier. Victoria dragged Irina to the dance floor, followed soon after by Peter. _Go for it, Victoria! _I was cheering her on in my head. Maybe she'd have a good influence on Irina. Almost everyone had made their way over to the crowded tile except for Bella and I.

"You leave tomorrow." She said flatly, picking at the label of her _Dorada_.

"I don't want to." I looked at her pleadingly, hoping she'd pull from her pocket some magic fairy dust that would make Aro disappear. Instead, she smiled and looked at her hands.

"Will you be able to get away from work again? I mean...you're always welcome to come back. I, um, we'd love to see you again." Even though the bar lights were dim, I could see a slight blush work its way up her neck.

"I don't know. I'm uncertain about...about a lot of things right now." I was scared to look up at her, fearing I'd give myself away. What was the point in telling her how I felt if I was just going to fly away and never see her again?

She sighed deeply and I could see her shoulders slump from the corner of my eye.

"Don't worry about the case, though. I'll keep working and I'll let you know everything I find, OK?" I didn't like seeing her so down.

"You really don't have to, you know."

"I _want _to."

"Thank you so much, Edward. For everything." She surprised me by leaning her head against my shoulder. I didn't know if it was the beer or sleepiness or both, but I enjoyed the contact nonetheless.

The evening wore on and I hardly noticed people trickling out into the streets. My only indication of how late it was came when Bella and I were kicked out for closing. We spent the time talking about everything-life, jobs, food, her organization. It felt good to pick her brain and get to know her better, I felt like much less of a creep who wanted to run my hands through her hair. We walked through the mostly empty streets and she asked me about the stars.

"They feel so close, even though I know they're so far away." She murmured.

"You know, a lot of stars come in pairs. Can you imagine a sunrise with two suns?"

"I'm glad. They look so lonely up there." I wanted to hold her hand so badly. I wanted to kiss her just like the first time we stargazed. _Fuck it all I just really wanted to make her smile. _

"Bella, do you want to head back?" It was getting pretty late and I was catching the bus fairly early in the morning, but I _really_ didn't want to end the night.

"Not really. But I guess we should." She gave me a half-smile, barely visible in the darkness. _Pretty lips. _

My heart raced as we neared the tents. Would this be the last time I'd ever see Bella? If so, could I really just _let her go_? Without thinking, I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. _ Coward. Just do it. _I stopped walking and our connection didn't break, she stopped, too.

"What's wrong?" She took a step towards me and now she was painfully close and yet still too far away.

"Nothing. But also everything." I knew I wasn't making any sense, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

"I don't understand."

"Ijustreallylikeisall." My tongue tripped and sputtered as I spewed word vomit at Bella.

"What?" She laughed. _Take it slow. Annunciate, you ass. Deep breaths, now._

"I really like you, Bella." Oh god that felt so good to finally say, out loud at least.

"Edward, I...I," _No, no! Here comes the rejection. _"You see why this can't work?" _  
_

Fuck.

* * *

_llapinachos de mote: _Hominy corn patties stuffed with pork or cheese, cooked on a hot griddle, and served garnish with peanut sauce, pickled red onions and hot sauce

_Dorada: _a beer brand from Ecuador.


End file.
